Coffee brand Lavazza enter esports with interactive Fnatic partnership

Italian coffee brand Lavazza have brewed up a partnership with Fnatic, marking their entry into esports.

The alliance will launch with the “Icons of Italy” campaign, which includes a custom map in popular Battle Royale game Fortnite.

Giorgio ‘POW3R’ Calandrelli, an Italian streamer and player for Fnatic, is featured in the collaboration — the map is a time trial and the course starts at his in-game mansion.

The map is described as a “true experiential journey through Italian culture” that features Lavazza’s headquarters in Turin and “symbols of Italian cultural heritage such as the Colosseum.”

Players are encouraged to submit their best runs on the map and post the video on Twitter or Instagram, providing plenty of potential advertisement for the coffee brand.

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The player who achieves the fastest time on the map will be rewarded with co-branded products from Fnatic and Lavazza and a Zoom meet-and-greet with POW3R. Those who finish in second and third place will also receive products.

The partnership will wrap up with a two-part documentary following POW3R’s path to becoming a professional gamer that will debut on December 16.

“Fnatic and Lavazza share the same values including a strong sense of heritage, a passion for work ethic and an unrelenting drive to be the best,” said Craig Santicchia, Fnatic’s partner development director.

“This partnership is a taste of what’s to come from our two brands as we continue pushing boundaries and activating inside the most relevant platforms for Gen Z. Helping Lavazza enter the industry in a fun, disruptive way via these digital experiences shows that the only limitation is our imagination.”

This may be the first instance of Lavazza advertising through esports, but the industry has previously welcomed coffee brands such as Madrinas, Dare Iced Coffee, and Chek Hup Coffee.